


Give me a Reason

by NohrNoble



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, but please don't read this if you're sensitive to stuff like suicide and self harm, im sorry for all the angst, sorry about the very slow updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NohrNoble/pseuds/NohrNoble
Summary: Takumi and his family have just moved to a new neighborhood for a fresh start. A few hours after moving in Takumi gets the honor of meeting his new neighbors. They all seem to be quite jolly people. Well, except for one. His name is Leo. (Modern!AU)





	1. Meet your Match

Takumi had just made it to his new house with his family. They had been unpacking and bringing their stuff into the house for the past 3 hours, and Takumi was relieved to be done. He set the last of his books on his bookshelf, and sighed with relief.

"Finally... I'm done with all of this stupid unpacking!" He said dramatically as he flopped onto his bed.

Takumi closed his eyes, and sighed again. He thought of how nice it'd be to experience new things, meet new people, and get a cool summer job. Takumi's thoughts soon drifted to nothingness, and he began to doze off. He was nearly asleep, when he was jolted awake by a hand slamming against his door frame. Takumi sat straight up, and stared wide eyed at the person who had disturbed him. It was his reckless but intelligent sister, Hinoka. She smiled wide at him.

"Hey sleepyhead! Come meet our new neighbors!" She said to the still exhausted Takumi.

Takumi yawned, and stood up. "Do we have to do that now? I just started to relax..." He said as he walked over to Hinoka.

Hinoka slapped him on the back with a little too much force, and he began to cough.

"Don't be a debby downer! I'm sure you'll have some time to relax after we do this. Plus I heard they've got a boy your age over there."

Takumi sighed. "Well I highly doubt that this boy and I will have anything in common." Takumi said grumpily, despite previously thinking about meeting new people. He then walked past his sister, and then went downstairs.

Hinoka crossed her arms and shook her head. "That boy can be such a drag sometimes..." She mumbled, before going downstairs as well.

When Takumi got outside, he saw his older brother Ryoma talking to a rather tall man with slightly curly blonde hair. They seemed to be getting along, so Takumi didn't interrupt them. Takumi turned his attention to his younger sister Sakura, who was currently listening to a girl who seemed to be her age rant about cartoons. Takumi sighed, and turned to walk back inside when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Takumi spun around, and got in a fighting stance.

"Who goes there!?" He yelled defensively.

The person who had touched his shoulder chuckled softly. It was a woman with long purple hair, who was wearing quite a bit of makeup. Her outfit was also a bit revealing. She smiled warmly. "Hello dear. I didn't mean to scare you like that, but I'm one of your neighbors. My name is Camilla, and it's very nice to meet you." She said and extended her hand out for a handshake.

Takumi blinked a few times, then shook his head to bring himself back to reality. He hesitantly shook Camilla's hand. "Um... Hi? M-my name is Tukami- I-I mean Takumi!" He said quickly.

Camilla laughed at Takumi's awkwardness as Hinoka walked up to them. She smiled at Camilla.

"I see that you've met my awkward little brother." She said while smirking at Takumi.

Takumi frowned disapprovingly, and Camilla chuckled again. "He seems nice. I like him." She said with a smile. Then she clapped her hands together. "Oh! You'd make a perfect friend for Leo!" She said happily.

Takumi tilted his head slightly with confusion at Camilla's sudden excitement. "Leo?"

Camilla sighed. "Leo is my younger brother. He's had quite a hard time making friends, but you two would be a perfect match!"

Takumi scowled, and shook his head. "Um, no. I'm am not good at making friends. I'd rather be reading books than meet some edgy, shut in, loser who I probably have nothing in common with, seeing as you literally just met me."

Camilla frowned at Takumi's harsh refusal. Hinoka shot an angry glare at Takumi then smiled nervously at Camilla. "I'm so sorry for his behavior. He's kinda grumpy and tired, but I bet he'd cheer up if he could meet Leo."

Camilla sighed, and smiled sadly. "It's fine. I just wish Takumi would meet Leo before he judged him like that. That's the reason we had to move here."

Takumi frowned. "What do you mean?"

Camilla looked away sadly. "We moved here because people were bullying Leo at his old high school."

Takumi now felt slightly bad for what he had said, and Camilla's sad face made it even worse. "Oh gosh... I'm sorry for talking about him like that. I-I guess it wouldn't hurt to meet him."

Camilla smiled, and pulled Takumi into a hug. "You're such a sweetheart, Takumi!" She exclaimed happily.

Takumi tried to pull away from Camilla's bear hug, so he could breath. "Th-Th... Thanks?" He managed to say.

Camilla finally let go of Takumi, then grabbed his hand. "C'mon! Let's go find him!" She said and dragged Takumi away.

Hinoka just chuckled, and waved to Takumi as Camilla pulled him away.

Camilla pulled Takumi into her family's house. Everything inside and outside the house seemed to be shades of purple and black, the exact opposite of Takumi's family's house. Camilla dragged Takumi up the stairs, and stopped in front of a door wih a keep out sign. Camilla let go of Takumi's hand, and softly knocked on the door.

"Leo, sweetie, are you in there?" She asked.

There was some shuffling noises, the sound of something falling, then footsteps from behind the door. Camilla and Takumi waited for about 5 minutes, before the door finally opened. A boy, which Takumi assumed was Leo, was standing there. His short blonde hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, and some ripped jeans. The poor guy looked like he hadn't slept in years.

Camilla gave Leo a worried smile. "Are you alright, dear?" She asked him.

Leo sighed, and frowned very angrily. "No. What do you want?" He asked aggressively.

Camilla frowned, and crossed her arms. "One of our new neighbors wanted to meet you."

Leo scoffed. "Nice joke, sis."

Camilla frowned angrily. "It's not a joke! He's right here!" She said angrily, and pushed Takumi forward.

Takumi stumbled forward, regained his composure, then finally forced a smile at Leo. "Um.... Hi. I'm Takumi." He said, and reluctantly held his hand out for a handshake.

Leo's expression softened, and he shook Takumi's hand. "H-hi... I'm... L-Leo." He said nervously.

Takumi finally stopped forcing a smile, and genuinely smiled softly at Leo, which caused him to avert his gaze to the floor. Camilla smiled at both of them.

"See? I knew you'd make great friends! Now you two can hang out, while I go gossip with my new gal pal." She said, and winked before walking away.

There was a moment of silence before Takumi cleared his throat to catch Leo's attention. Leo looked up like a deer caught in headlights, and Takumi smiled nervously.

"So uh... Are we going to hang out in your room or...?"

Leo blushed, and looked away again. "U-uh, yeah. If you want to..." He said quietly, and stepped aside so Takumi could enter his room.

Takumi walked into Leo's room, and attempted to look around. It was very dark, the only light source being the small amount of light coming from the closed curtains. He squinted his eyes and attempted to make out the words of the posters on Leo's walls. He eventually gave up and turned to Leo, who had just shut the door.

"Could we possibly turn a light on? I can't see anything."

"O-oh yeah... Sorry..." Leo mumbled quickly, and flicked the overhead light on.

Takumi covered his eyes for a moment until they adjusted to the light. He started to look around the room. First he saw Leo's bed. It was a messy twin bed with black sheets, pillows, and covers. In fact... Almost everything in the room was black or purple. Was there some strange obsession going on with these two colors in this household? Takumi sighed, when he realized he had no room to question them. His whole house and even his room were themed with the colors red and white. Takumi snapped back to reality, and resumed his visual examination of his new friend's room. There was a purple dresser with a bunch of notebooks and figurines on top of it. There was a rather large bookshelf that caught Takumi's eye, and he decided to take note of it so he could ask Leo about it next time they could hang out. There was a small fish tank on an end table near a window that was covered by royal themed purple curtains. There were two orange and yellow goldfish inside the tank. Takumi then wandered over to Leo's desk. He picked up a piece of notebook paper that was lying on the desk, and began to read it.

"Dear Xander, Camilla, and Elise. I'm sorry that I have to write this, it's the only way to tell you why I made this decision-" Takumi was abruptly cut off from reading the paper when Leo snatched it out of his hand.

"D-don't touch that!" He yelled.

Takumi backed up a bit, and frowned. "Whoa, s-sorry. But what was that? It seemed really serious, and now I'm kinda worried about you, dude."

Leo looked frightened and sad for a moment, but he quickly replaced that expression with one of anger. "None of your damn business! Now get out!" He shouted, and pointed towards the door.

Takumi looked away hesitantly then gave a defeated sigh. "Alright... I'll see you later, friend..." He said with a bit of sadness, as he left.

As soon as that door closed, Leo regretted what he had done. He had ruined his chances of being close with Takumi. He shouldn't have yelled, or kicked Takumi out. He should have calmly told Takumi not to read the note, and he should have changed the subject. Then Leo thought back to what Takumi had said before leaving.

"Friend..." Leo whispered. The word felt very strange to him.

Leo sat silently on his bed for a while as realization of everything kicked in. Then he smiled sadly, and began to cry tears of joy.

-  
-

Takumi sadly walked out of the house and back to his own yard where everyone was still conversing. Camilla noticed Takumi, and smiled excitedly.

"Soooo? How'd it go?" She asked the silver haired boy.

Takumi faked a smile. "It went well. He seemed slightly uncomfortable, but happy to have me there. I think I'll visit him again tomorrow, if that's okay." He partially lied.

Camilla squealed and pulled Takumi into yet another bear hug. "Of course it's okay! I'm so, so glad that Leo has a friend! Thank you so much!"

Takumi pulled away from Camilla's death hug. "N-no problem. I'm glad to have a friend that I have stuff in common with." He lied again.

Hinoka punched Takumi's arm playfully. "See? I told you it would be fun to meet our neighbors!"

Takumi sighed, and smiled. "It sure was fun. But I'm gonna go take a nap." He said as we waved goodbye to them and walked inside the house. He stumbled up the staircase, into his room, and fell onto his bed. He sighed and hugged one of his pillows.

"Leo... Why did he seem so empty and hurt...?" Takumi whispered to himself before dozing off into a restless sleep.

-  
-

Back at Leo's house, he was laying on his bed. He stared blankly at the ceiling. He had turned the light off again and had informed his family that he would not be joining them for dinner. He had convinced himself that he didn't need to eat or gain any weight, despite his siblings telling him that he was very underweight. Leo was broken out of his thoughts as someone began to pound on his bedroom door. Leo sighed and slowly got up. He shuffled over to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. His older brother Xander was standing there. He seemed quite angry.

"Leo, you need to come eat dinner with us. You haven't eaten with us in ttwo days, and I'm very worried about you."

Leo looked away from his intimidating brother and bit his lip nervously. "I'm fine..." He mumbled.

Xander crossed his arms angrily. "No, you're not fine. We all know that you're not fine."

Leo didn't say anything. He just fidgeted nervously and fought the urge to cry. He knew that he wasn't fine. He wanted to eat so badly, but the voice that he had created told him no. He wanted to smile but he felt as if invisible strings were tugging his mouth into a frown. He wanted to sleep, but the voice kept him up. It told him how horrible, annoying, and ugly he was. It told him that he was unloved. He wanted to make friends but all he could manage to spit out was insults and threats.

Xander's expression finally softened and he gently placed his hand on Leo's shoulder. "Leo, we are all really worried for you. We moved here to help you, but you don't seem to be getting any better. You're not eating well, sleeping well, or having social interactions. Please, please tell us what's going on before we lose you." He said while on the verge of tears.

Leo didn't say anything for quite a while, but finally looked up at Xander with tears in his eyes. "X-Xander... I-I'm s-sorry..." He managed to say. He tightly hugged his older brother and began to sob.

Xander hugged Leo back and rubbed his back to comfort him. "It's okay, Leo... Let it all out..." He said in a comforting tone, unlike his normal stern voice.

Leo sobbed for a good 10 minutes until he had no more tears left. He pulled away from Xander, and wiped the remaining tears away. "I-I'm s-sorry, X-Xander..." He mumbled.

Xander gave Leo a comforting smile. "It's okay, Leo. It's not good to bottle up your emotions, so I'm glad that you let it out. I know you're not in the best mood right now, so I won't ask you to tell me what's going on. But I would like you to come eat with us."

Leo thought for a moment and sighed shakily. He had decided that he really had no choice here. He nodded. "O-okay... I will." He sad quietly.

Xander smiled at his younger brother. "Good. Now let's go eat before dinner gets cold." He said and walked with Leo downstairs.


	2. Back for More?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi takes some time to visit his new friend Leo's home. It goes just about as well as you'd expect it to.

Takumi woke up to the sun shining in his eyes through the window. He groaned tiredly and tried to roll away from the light, but instead he rolled off the bed and hit the floor. Takumi hissed in pain and glared up at the ceiling. He lay there for another 5 minutes before he decided to sit up.

"I can already tell what kind of day this is gonna be..." He mumbled to himself.

Takumi sat silently on the floor for a few more minutes before he got up to get ready. He grabbed a simple white t-shirt, his blue hoodie, and some normal jeans, then he ran off to the bathroom to get ready. Takumi was now brushing his long hair when someone knocked on the bathroom door.

Takumi sighed and set the hair brush down. "What!?" He yelled to the person on the other side.

A small squeak was heard, then a shy voice responded. "I-it's me, Sakura. A-are you almost done in there?" She asked through the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a sec!" He shouted then picked the brush back up.

Takumi finished brushing the last bit of his hair and put it up into his signature ponytail. He then opened the door and smiled at his younger sister.

"Good morning, sis." He greeted Sakura happily.

Sakura smiled tiredly. "Good morning, brother." She said simply then went into the bathroom.

Takumi went back to his room. He looked around for a bit, trying to find something to do. He eventually decided that he ought to make his bed, since it was the only messy thing in there at the moment. So he began that minor task

-  
-

Leo had been awake since 2 AM. He had tried to sleep at 8 PM, but had woken up because of nightmares. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't fall back asleep. So he had decided to read instead. Leo sighed as he got up to set his book in it's rightful place. He had remembered seeing Takumi eye it the other day and had wondered... Did Takumi like to read too? Leo shook his head. Probably not... We probably have nothing in common, and Takumi probably won't come back. Leo felt tears begin to form in his eyes as this thought came to him.

_"Alright... I'll see you later, friend..."_

Leo ran Takumi's words through his head several times to make sure his memory was correct. Takumi had indeed said that. So maybe he would come back. Maybe he did like Leo. Leo shook his head and began to laugh sadly.

"Someone likes me? What a joke..." He said to himself as he subconsciously organized his bookshelf for comfort.

Leo was almost done organizing his bookshelf when he heard his door open. He turned around to see who had opened it. Camilla was standing there with a gentle smile on her face.

"Good morning, Leo. I thought I'd come and check on you, just to see if you were awake." She said, before examining her little brother and adding. "Actually... Did you get any sleep at all?"

Leo sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Not really... I only got 6 hours of sleep or somethin'..."

Camilla frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Leo! You are a growing boy who obviously needs more sleep than that!" She said sternly.

Leo looked away sadly. "Sorry..." He mumbled.

Camilla sighed and strolled over to her brother. "I'm sorry for sounding so rude, Leo. But you really do need to take better care of yourself."

Leo nodded. "I-it's okay, I understand. I-I just... I had a nightmare last night and couldn't go back to sleep."

Camilla became even more worried. "Oh dear. That's not very good." She said then smiled. "Well if that happens again, you can always come to me or Xander for comfort, okay?"

Leo smiled. "Thanks, Camilla." He said, and gave her a hug.

Camilla chuckled softly, and hugged her younger brother back. "Anytime, dear." She said then left, shutting the door behind her.

Leo's smile turned to a frown, and he sighed. He turned to face his bookshelf again and continued to put the rest of his books back. _Why would I ever go to them for help? It would only bother them, and they don't need more things to worry about..._ The blonde boy thought to himself. Leo soon finished organizing the whole bookshelf and stood back to admire it. He nodded in approval, then walked over to his bedroom window, and rested his arms on the window sill.

Leo sighed. "I wonder if Takumi will visit me again..." He said quietly, before getting lost in thought. Leo closed his eyes for a moment, before his peace was once again disturbed by someone.

"Leo! Breakfast is ready!" Elise shouted from downstairs.

Leo sighed yet again and, not bothering to respond, made his way downstairs for breakfast.

-  
-

It was now after lunch. Takumi was getting ready to go see Leo again. He was bored and figured that it would be a good idea to visit his new friend. Perhaps Leo would be more comfortable with him this time around.

Takumi sighed. "I hope I'm right..." He muttered to no one as he left his room to go downstairs.

He walked into the living room where Ryoma and Hinoka were sitting on the couch and talking.

Hinoka noticed Takumi and smiled. "I see that the beast finally decided to come out of his lair." She joked.

Takumi crossed his arms. "Ha ha. Very funny, Hinoka. But I just came down here to tell you that I'm going to visit Leo."

Hinoka smirked. "Oh, you mean your boyfriend?"

Takumi blushed. "We literally just met!" He retaliated quickly.

Both Ryoma and Hinoka laughed as Takumi hurried out of the house.

Takumi sighed angrily. "Gosh! Hinoka is such a jerk sometimes!" He said to himself, then blushed. "B-but... What if I did end up dating Leo someday...?" Takumi thought out loud, then immediately shook his head in protest. "Who am I kidding? That would never happen!" He concluded then hurried over to his neighbor's house.

Takumi knocked on the door, then stood back and waited for someone to answer. The doorknob turned and the door was flung open by Leo's younger sister, Elise.

Elise gave Takumi a big smile. "Hello, neighbor!" She greeted cheerfully. "What brings you here on this fine day?" She asked Takumi.

Takumi tried his best to smile. "I'm here to see Leo."

Elise smirked and giggled quietly. Takumi blushed.

"D-don't get the wrong idea! We're only f-friends!" He stuttered.

Elise rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yeah, suuuure." She said with a chuckle and stepped aside. "He's up in his room." She informed Takumi.

Takumi sighed. "Okay." He responded simply then stepped into the house. "Thanks, I guess." He said to Elise then went up the stairs.

Once he made it upstairs, Takumi stood in front of Leo's door for a while, trying to mentally prepare himself to not be awkward and or rude for once in his life. As soon as he reached his hand out to knock, the door opened. Leo shrieked and fell backwards.

Takumi gasped. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry Leo! I-I really didn't mean to scare you!" He apologized quickly, and helped Leo up.

Leo sighed and dusted himself off. "It's okay... Stuff like this happened all of the time at school... Except people do it on purpose..." He mumbled the last part.

Takumi tilted his head. "Huh?"

Leo shook his head. "Never mind. Why are you here?" He asked Takumi suspiciously.

Takumi smiled. "To see you, duh."

Leo blushed and averted his gaze. "W-why would you want to see me?" He asked.

Takumi gently put his hand on Leo's shoulder, making the shorter boy flinch.

Takumi gave Leo a comforting smile. "Because you're my friend."

Leo blushed even more. "O-oh... I-I... Um..." He sighed and walked into his room, looking back at Takumi. "C-c'mon..." He said quietly, beckoning Takumi to enter the room.

Takumi entered and shut the door quietly behind him. Leo sat on his bed and Takumi decided to sit beside him. They sat in silence for a while until Takumi cleared his throat to get Leo's attention. Leo looked up with fear, as if he had done something wrong.

Takumi looked away awkwardly. "So uh... You like to read?" He asked.

Leo bit his lip nervously, and nodded. "Mhmm..."

Takumi awkwardly messed with the edge of his hoodie. "Ummmm... What kind of books do you like to read?" He asked Leo.

Leo shrugged. "I like to read a lot of different kinds of books... But mostly history..." He answered.

"Oh, cool..."

They sat in silence once more. Leo had laid back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Takumi took this opportunity to take a better look around the room. There were posters on the wall for bands such as Glass Animals, The Beetles, The Smiths, and Tally Hall. Huh. Looks like we like the same music too. Takumi noted mentally. He switched his gaze to Leo's closet, which had been left open. It was dark, so Takumi couldn't see much. He thought that he saw a chair though. He shook his head. It was probably nothing, he concluded then turned to Leo.

"Hey Leo, could I possibly look at your bookshelf?" He asked awkwardly.

Leo hesitated, but sighed. "I suppose...." He answered.

Takumi smiled and got up to do as he had asked. He made his way to the bookshelf, and examined it. There were a lot of history and fantasy books. But there was one particular book that stood out from the rest. It was titled Brynhildr, and was separated from the rest. Takumi decided that he would ask about that later when he and Leo had nothing to talk about. Then Takumi noticed a book sitting on Leo's desk. He wandered back to the desk. The desk that he had found that strange note on. Takumi noticed that Leo tensed up as he neared the desk. Takumi picked up the book that was on the desk, and inspected it. It was a book from a series that Takumi had never heard of. He looked at Leo who seemed to be shaking slightly, then he set the book back down. Leo seemed to calm down a bit when he did that.

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Leo?" He asked the timid boy.

Leo sighed shakily and faked a smile. "Nothing. I'm fine." He lied.

Takumi frowned and sat down next to Leo. "I don't think you're fine." He said with worry.

Leo looked Takumi straight in the eyes. "Takumi, have you ever tried to give up?" He asked vaguely.

Takumi was becoming more worried by the second. "W-what do you mean?"

Leo bit his lip as he usually did when he was nervous, and sighed. "Have you ever tried to throw your life away?"

Takumi looked horrified. "You mean suicide?" He asked the blonde boy.

Leo nodded, which scared Takumi even more.

Takumi shook his head. "No way! I've never had a reason to even consider such a thing! I've got such a wonderful family, and such great friends that care about me!"

Leo nodded again. "I see... That's good."

They lapsed into silence once again. Takumi wanted to say something to Leo so badly, but couldn't quite piece his words together in time.

Leo stood up, and faced Takumi. He smiled weakly. "I'm getting kind of tired, so I think I'll try to sleep."

Takumi took this as a sign that Leo probably wanted to be left alone, so he got up as well. "Oh, okay." He said to Leo.

Leo looked away. "Um... Thank you for hanging out with me, Takumi. I-I really enjoy having you here." He said.

Takumi smiled. "No problem, dude. I like to be with you too." Takumi said then realized how strange that sounded.

They both blushed, and Takumi hurried towards the door. He turned to Leo before leaving. "B-bye!" He said then left, closing the door softly behind him.

Leo sighed and flopped onto his bed. He grabbed his pillow, and screamed into it. Then he dropped it back on his bed and frowned angrily. "Y-you shouldn't have said anything, you damn idiot..." He whispered to himself, before dozing off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical errors! I try my best to read through chapters, and fix all of my mistakes, but unfortunately I can't find them all.  
> I do hope you all enjoy this chapter though!
> 
> Have a lovely day, and stay fresh! <3


	3. Genuine Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi goes to visit Leo yet again, but it met with the news that Leo has been out for a while. Takumi goes out to search for his mysterious blonde friend, and arrives just in time.

It had now been two days since Takumi had seen Leo. Of course, Takumi had been awfully busy, and regretted not being able to see his new friend. He felt very energetic and happy today, so this only fueled his desire to see his friend and make things less awkward. It was just after lunch, his usual visiting time, and Takumi had already raced out the front door. He hurried over to his friend's house and knocked on the door. Takumi restlessly waited a minute before the door was opened by none other than Xander.

Xander smiled at Takumi. "Hello, Takumi." He greeted the silver haired boy.

Takumi smiled wide. "Greetings, Xander. Is Leo home?" He asked.

Xander shook his head. "No. He went out for a walk."

Takumi sighed and frowned. "Oh..."

"But he did leave quite a while ago, and I'm a bit worried... I'd go and look for him myself, but I'm busy. So could you please try to find him?" Xander asked Takumi.

Takumi smiled and and nodded quickly. "Heck yeah! I'll be the best one man search party you've ever hired!" He yelled then ran off to find Leo.

Xander chuckled and shook his head. "What an energetic boy..." He said before shutting the door.

Takumi ran around the neighborhood, yelling Leo's name in an attempt to find him. Takumi looked almost everywhere, but could not find a single piece of evidence that suggested his friend had been here at all. Takumi was beginning to become very worried. He started to run.

"Leo! Leo where are you!?" He yelled for his friend.

Takumi stopped and gasped. Down by his feet, he could see blood on the side walk. Fresh blood. Takumi covered his mouth to stop himself from screaming, and whipped his head around for any more evidence that might lead to where this blood had come from. Takumi tried to calm himself down and listened for any noise. His eyes widened when he heard what he thought to be crying. He ran towards the sound. It led him to a nearby by bridge above a beautiful river. _Huh, what a cool thing to live by!_ Takumi thought before he noticed someone standing on the railing of the bridge. They had blonde hair... They were wearing almost exclusively black clothes and-

"L-Leo?" Takumi asked cautiously.

Leo started to lean forward, and began to fall.

Takumi screamed and ran forward. "Leo, no!" He yelled and reached over the edge to catch Leo's hand.

Takumi didn't quite catch him fast enough, and Leo fell. The blonde boy hit the water, but it was luckily not hard enough to kill him. However, he did sink fast. Takumi immediately took his shirt off, threw it to the side, and jumped in to save Leo. He dove in and quickly began to search for his friend. It took him less than a minute to spot Leo. He grabbed the smaller male's body, and made his way to the surface. He got onto land and gently set Leo's body down. He checked Leo's pulse.

Takumi sighed with relief. "Thank goodness... You're still alive." He muttered to himself.

Before Takumi could attempt CPR, Leo suddenly started to cough up quite a bit of water. Takumi helped him sit up so he wouldn't choke and patted his back in an attempt to help. Leo had finished coughing up water and was now silent. He was looking at the ground and shaking very badly. Takumi carefully placed his hands on Leo's shoulders, but Leo still didn't look up.

He took a deep breath, and sighed. "L-Leo. P-please l-look at me." He requested.

Leo shook his head.

Takumi placed a finger under Leo's head, and gently tilted his head up to look at him. He looked Leo in the eyes somberly. "Leo... W-Why? Why did you try to do that?"

"B-Because I-I... I'm w-worthless..." He muttered.

Takumi shook his head. "No, Leo. You are not worthless. You're intelligent, talented, and h-handsome." He said while blushing.

Leo blushed his well, but sighed. "Y-You know that none of that is true, Takumi..."

Takumi frowned, and pulled Leo into a hug. Leo gasped lightly with surprise. He hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to hug Takumi back. Then they both started to cry.

"P-Please don't e-ever t-try t-to leave m-me again..." Takumi finally begged between sobs.

Leo shook his head. "I-I... I c-can't promise anything..."

Takumi let go of Leo, and looked him in the eyes again. "L-Leo, please tell me you won't do this again."

Leo didn't speak for a while, but sighed and nodded. "O-Okay... I won't try again."

Takumi smiled weakly. "Thank you. Now let's head back. We probably need to change our clothes, seeing as we both just jumped in a river."

Leo nodded and they both stood up to go home. Takumi noticed that as soon as they started walking, Leo seemed awfully weak. So he stopped walking, and picked Leo up bridal style.

Leo shrieked. "W-What are you doing!?" He asked, quickly becoming flustered.

Takumi smiled. "I'm carrying you home because you're obviously out of energy."

Leo crossed his arms and made a pouty face. "I-I'm 17... I c-can w-walk perfectly f-fine..."

Takumi smirked. "I know, but you just jumped into a frickin' river. So no more complaining. I'm carrying you home."

Leo sighed and stayed quiet for the rest of the walk home.

They eventually made it back to their homes. Takumi started to walk towards Leo's house, with Leo still in his arms.

Leo frowned. "What are you doing?" He asked grumpily.

Takumi smiled at Leo. "I'm carrying you home, duh."

Leo sighed with frustration. "I know that, but do you need to keep carrying me? We're here already."

Takumi put on a fake pouty face. "But I don't want you to over exert yourself after what just happened. Plus I wanna come in with you and make sure you're okay."

Leo blushed and averted his gaze away from Takumi. "Fine." He said simply.

Takumi smiled again. "Good. Now can you open the door or something? I don't exactly have any free hands."

Leo rolled his eyes, and opened the door so Takumi could take him inside.

Takumi went inside, gently set Leo down, then closed the door. "There you go, your majesty. You are now free again."

Leo became very flustered. He punched Takumi's arm lightly. "S-shut up...!" He said with a chuckle.

Camilla saw the two boys and gasped. "Oh dear! What happened to you two!? You're soaked!" She exclaimed then immediately began to usher them to the bathroom to get towels. "You two need to get changed and dried off before you catch a cold!" She said sternly.

Takumi blushed. "B-but I didn't bring any extra clothes!"

Camilla chuckled. "Then you can borrow some of Leo's clothes." She said to Takumi, who was as flustered as Leo now.

Leo crossed his arms with sass. "Um, no. My clothes would not fit him. He's taller, and he's got more muscle than I do."

Takumi nodded. "Yeah. Leo's practically a string bean."

Leo stuck his tongue out at Takumi, and chuckled. Takumi chuckled as well.

Camilla smiled. "You guys are getting along very well. I'm glad."

Leo blushed. "Y-yeah. It's great to have a friend..."

Takumi cleared his throat. "So... What are we gonna do about my clothes."

Camilla shrugged. "I suppose I'll just steal some of Xander's clothes for you."

Takumi frowned. "That's weird, but okay."

Camilla threw towels at both Takumi and Leo. "Dry off, and I'll be right back." She said then ran off to get clothes for Takumi.

Takumi started by dying his hair off. Leo just wrapped himself up in his towel.

Takumi smiled at Leo, and chuckled. "So when are you actually gonna dry yourself off?" He asked.

Leo smirked. "Never." He said simply then they both laughed.

Camilla walked back into the bathroom, tossed some clothes to Takumi, and tossed some clothes to Leo. Then she exited again, and turned to smile at the boys. "Alright. Hurry up and get dressed." She said, then closed the door.

Leo blushed. "S-She wants us to both get changed in here?" He asked while blushing.

Takumi shrugged. "I guess. I mean, we're both guys so as long as neither of us looks at each other, we'll be fine."

Leo sighed. "Okay..." He said with uncertainty, then began to change his clothes.

Both of them successfully got changed and exited the bathroom. No one else was downstairs so they decided to silently chill on the couch. Then Camilla walked in the room and sat down with them. She looked very serious.

Camilla cleared her throat to get their attention. "So what even happened to you two?" She asked suddenly.

Leo bit his lip nervously and looked away.

Takumi sighed. "Well... Um... Leo fell into the river when we were messing around, and I had to save him." Takumi lied.

Camilla squinted her eyes suspiciously. She turned to Leo. "Is that true, brother?" She asked.

Leo hesitated then nodded. "Y-yes." He said to her.

Camilla sighed. "Thank goodness! I thought something far worse had happened!" She exclaimed with relief, then got up and left the room.

Leo looked very confused and flustered. "W-what did she mean?" He asked Takumi.

Takumi shrugged. "I dunno. But it probably wasn't what you're thinking."

"Well we were all wet... But you were also out of breath from carrying me so..."

Takumi's face turned a shade of deep red. "S-shut up, Leo!" He shouted, and Leo began to laugh.

Leo's eyes widened when he realized that this was the first time he had truly laughed with happiness in a long time. He smiled wide, and continued to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh... I feel like this chapter is all over the place...
> 
> Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> Have a lovely day, and stay fresh! <3


	4. Oh, Leo...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi reminisces about a lost brother, while Ryoma and Hinoka begin to realize that they've never actually met Leo.

Takumi lay on his bed as he usually did when he had nothing to do. The only thing on his mind was Leo. Leo had tried to do something awful a few days ago, and Takumi had never properly discussed the issue with his blonde friend. He was too focused on getting them safe and dry.

Takumi sighed. "I wonder if he's okay..." He muttered to himself, before sitting up.

Takumi looked around the room. He noticed that his room was quite bland. He hadn't really put much time into decorating, since he had been spending time with Leo. Takumi got up and walked over to a box in the corner of his room. He opened it carefully so dust wouldn't go everywhere, and looked at it contents. The box was full of posters and other wall decorations, just as Takumi had suspected. Takumi carefully removed each item, and set them aside.

"Band poster... Video game poster... Picture..." Takumi listed everything he removed to himself quietly.

Takumi kept removing things until he came across a strange picture. Takumi, Ryoma, Sakura, and Hinoka were all standing together. They were smiling quite happily. But there was one more person. He had very light hair that appeared to be white. Or a lighter shade of blonde maybe? Or was it a light brown? Takumi shook his head. Now's not the time to debate such a silly thing. He thought to himself before continuing to inspect the person. He seemed to be wearing a silver colored sweater, and some dull gray jeans. However, he was not wearing shoes, nor socks. He eyes were a nice mix of brown and red. He looked very gentle and almost sickly. His skin was very pale. Then it hit Takumi. He knew exactly who this was.

Takumi felt the tears forming in his eyes. "C-Corrin..." He whispered.

It was his brother, Corrin. Corrin had always been a sickly child, and only lived to the age of 15 before sadly passing away. Takumi remembered how Corrin would always make the best of life despite the sickness. They would laugh and play together. Takumi closed his eyes as a memory of Corrin came to him.

_Takumi pulled the bow back carefully, aiming with care. He took a deep breath and released. The arrow hit the center of the target. Takumi smiled and cheered for himself before hearing soft footsteps. Takumi turned to see Corrin standing close by._

_Corrin smiled wide. "T-that was amazing, brother!" He exclaimed._

_Takumi chuckled. "Really? It wasn't that impressive..." Takumi said sheepishly._

_Corrin frowned and put his hands on his hips. "Oh don't be so modest! That was a spectacular shot!"_

_Takumi blushed and looked away. "Stop it, you're embarrassing me!" He said with a chuckle._

_Corrin smiled once again. He tightly hugged Takumi. "I wanna be just like you when I grow up, big brother!" He said happily._

_Takumi smiled sadly, and hugged Corrin back. "I'm sure with lots of practice you could be an archer just like me, Corrin." Takumi said to the smaller boy._

-  
-

Tears were flowing down Takumi's cheeks now. He had quit archery soon after Corrin died. He couldn't bear the thought of his younger brother innocently looking up at him, and rambling on about wanting to be like him when he grew up. Takumi had always sincerely hoped that Corrin would live a long happy life. But now Corrin was gone. He never got to grow up and do what he wanted. Nothing could change that. Not even the hope that Corrin's death was all a stupid nightmare. So he had tried to cope by blocking Corrin from his mind. Takumi wiped the tears from his eyes, and continued to remove things from the box. _1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3._ Takumi counted mentally as he removed the items. Once everything was out, he began to hang the posters and pictures on the walls.

While Takumi was hanging everything up in his room, Ryoma and Hinoka were discussing things downstairs. Sakura had gone to play with her new friend Elise at the nearby park, so they didn't have to worry about her.

Ryoma talked as he organized papers for work. "Takumi seems to be spending a lot of time with Leo, huh?"

Hinoka nodded as she chopped up vegetables for dinner. "Mhmm. He seems to like that boy, but I haven't ever seen him before"

Ryoma put a stack of papers away. "Yeah. Leo is a bit mysterious."

Hinoka chuckled. "What if he's just Takumi's imaginary friend?" She joked.

Ryoma smiled. "Nice joke, but I think Takumi is a bit old for that."

Hinoka scraped the chopped up vegetables into a pot. "True. So shall we ask Takumi to bring his new friend over so we can say hi?" She asked her older brother.

Ryoma shrugged. "Sure, why not? We're not too awfully busy right now anyway."

Hinoka had just finished putting the broth into the pot, and put the lid on it so it could cook. "Good. I'll go ask Takumi about that." She said, and made her way upstairs.

Hinoka stopped in front of Takumi's room. The door was open, but she didn't feel like it would be respectful to just walk in. So she knocked on the door frame. "You in here?" She asked.

Takumi got up, and walked up to Hinoka. "Yes, I'm here. Did you need something, sis?" He asked.

Hinoka smiled wide. "Well... Ryoma and I were wondering if you could possibly bring your friend Leo over, so we could meet him."

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to meet him?" He asked his older sister.

Hinoka shrugged. "We just kinda want to know who you're hanging out with 24/7."

Takumi blushed. "Hey! I don't hang out with him that often."

Hinoka playfully punched Takumi's arm. "Stop getting all flustered. We just want to meet him."

Takumi sighed. "Okay. I suppose it'll be nice to see him again anyway." He said with a smile.

Hinoka ruffled Takumi's hair. "That's the spirit! Now go get your boyfriend." She joked.

Takumi blushed even more, and swatted Hinoka's hand away. "S-shut up and get out so I can go already!" He shouted.

Hinoka put her hands up defensively. "Gosh. Sorry, sir sassy. I wasn't even in your room." She said, then went back downstairs.

Takumi took a moment to compose himself, then put his shoes on and started his journey to fetch Leo. However, upon exiting the house he was greeted by an ambulance pulling up to his neighbor's home. Takumi's eyes widened, and he dashed over. The first responders rushed inside the house with a stretcher. Takumi had an idea of what was going on, based on things Leo had said and done, but tried to force himself to not believe it. Soon, the first responders were back outside. Takumi felt his heart drop as he saw who was on the stretcher. It was Leo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha that's right, I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger! >:)
> 
> I'll try to find time to write more chapters soon, but I hope you all enjoy what I've got so far!
> 
> Have a lovely day, and stay fresh! <3


	5. Everything will be okay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi has finally received a call from Leo, and goes to visit him at the hospital.

It took everything that the silver haired boy had not to scream. Takumi noticed the blood dripping from Leo's wrists, and suddenly realized what had happened. It was what he had feared. Leo had tried to kill himself. 

Takumi felt tears sliding down his cheeks. "N-no... This has to be a nightmare..." He mumbled to himself.

Takumi felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumped slightly. He shook himself out of his thoughts, and looked up to see Xander standing in front of him.

"I-I'm... Sorry you had to see that..." The blond haired man said quietly, and after a moment of hesitation.

Takumi blinked a few times to clear up tears, and sighed. "No, I-I... I'm sorry this h-happened... If I feel t-this upset, then I can't b-begin to imagine how you feel..."

Xander looked away and stayed silent. Takumi didn't really know what to say, so he tried giving Xander a hug. The older male froze for a moment, before hugging Takumi back.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry..." Takumi apologized again.

Xander held back tears as he responded. "T-thank you... I-I'm sure h-he'll be okay..."

-

-

It had been a week since the incident. Takumi still hadn't heard any news about Leo. The only thing Takumi could do was hope that Leo was okay. He waited every day until he heard from the Krakenburg's. So that leads us to where he is now: laying on his bed, phone by his side, waiting for a call. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Leo. Of course, he was thinking about how Leo was doing... But he was also figuring out his feelings for the blonde haired male. Sure, they had only known each other for a short amount of time, but Takumi already felt that he had a strong bond with Leo. Once they had learned to get past the awkwardness, Takumi learned that he did indeed share a lot of the same interests as Leo. They both loved similar board games, history books, and soups. Takumi chuckled as he remembered Leo's inability to pronounce simple words like miso and shogi.  
The silver haired boy sighed sadly. He really did miss Leo's laughter... He loved the way that Leo's eyes lit up with joy when he was around Takumi... And his beautiful smile-  
Takumi was abruptly torn from his thoughts by the annoying ring tone of his phone. Takumi grabbed his phone, and without checking who the call was from, accepted it.

He held the phone to his ear. "H-Hello...?" He greeted whoever was on the other side.

Takumi heard a bit of shuffling for a moment before the other person responded. "t... takumi?"  
Takumi gasped. "Leo! Oh, Leo, thank the gods! You're okay!?" He shouted quickly.

Leo sighed. "well... could you visit me please...?" He asked, basically ignoring Takumi's question.

"Of course! You have no idea how long I've waited to hear from you! I-I'll uh... I'll be there soon!"

Leo chuckled sadly. "okay... i'll see you soon..." The blonde boy said before hanging up.

Takumi got up and ran downstairs. He ran up to the first older sibling he saw, which happened to be Ryoma.

"Ryoma! Ryoma, I need a ride to the Windmire hospital!" He shouted.

Ryoma sighed. "The hospital? Why would you- Oh."

Takumi nodded. "Yes! Now can I go?"

Ryoma smiled at his younger brother. "Sure. Just let me tell Hinoka and Sakura. I'm sure they'd like to see him too."

Takumi sighed. "Okay. But hurry!" He requested.

As Ryoma went off to fetch Hinoka and Sakura, Takumi sat on the couch and looked at stuff on his phone. He was mostly looking at the pictures he had convinced Leo to take with him. Leo had at first told Takumi that he hated having his picture taken because he didn't like the way he looked. Of course, Takumi didn't dare let him think that for a second longer. So after Takumi finally managed to get Leo to believe the truth, the truth being how attractive Leo was, they took some pictures together. A lot of them were just Leo and Takumi messing with camera filters, but there were some of them out at the park, or at a cafe. Takumi sighed once more. He'll think it once, and he'll think it again... He really misses Leo.

The pineapple haired boy was, once again, ripped from his thoughts. But this time in a more unpleasant way.   
Hinoka playfully punched Takumi in the shoulder. "Hey! Quit thinking about your boyfriend!" She said.

Takumi blushed. "For Naga's sake... He's not my boyfriend! And now is not the time to joke about such a thing!" He shouted.

Hinoka chuckled. "Jeez, fine." She said simply.

Ryoma sighed. "Are you two done yet?" He asked his siblings.

Hinoka nodded. "Yup. Let's go!" She answered.

And with that, they all piled into Ryoma's car, and made their way to the Windmire Hospital. However, as Takumi stared out the window of the car, anxiety started to take the place of happiness. Takumi had almost forgotten why Leo was in the hospital. It was because he had tried to kill himself. Takumi had to stop himself from crying at the thought. Leo had tried to kill himself. Takumi tried, and failed, to block that horrid thought from his mind. But it wouldn't go away. Of course, it was impossible to ignore the truth. Takumi didn't even know why he tried. And before he knew it, they had arrived at the hospital. Takumi got out of the car, and waited for his siblings to get out as well. Sakura must have noticed that Takumi was nervous, because she gave her brother a gentle hug.

"I-It's okay, brother... I'm sure everything will be f-fine." She reassured him.

Takumi smiled and hugged his sister back. "Thanks, sis..."

"Are you ready to head inside?" Ryoma asked.

Takumi nodded. "I guess I'm as ready as I can be." He answered as they began to walk towards the hospital.

They entered, got Leo's room number, and made their way up to his room. With every step, Takumi felt his anxiety increasing. Was Leo really okay? What would Takumi say to him? And what would Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura think? This was their first time meeting Leo, after all. Unfortunately, the short distance to Leo's room wasn't enough time to ponder all of those questions. They made it to Leo's room, and Takumi knocked on the door, just to be polite. There was a moment of silence, before the door was thrown open. Just as you'd probably suspect, it was Elise who opened the door.

She smiled wide. "Oh! You're Leo's boyfriend!" She said once she saw Takumi.

Takumi blushed and sighed. "I am NOT." He said.

Elise giggled and stepped aside. "Well come on in!"

Takumi and his siblings did as they were allowed, and stepped into the room. The rest of Leo's sibling were in there, as expected. However, Xander and Camilla had stepped off to the corner of the room. They appeared to be quietly discussing something. Takumi had quickly turned his attention to Leo. Leo had bandages up both of his wrists, looked incredibly exhausted, and was very pale. But to Takumi, he still managed to look absolutely beautiful. Takumi felt a blush creep up his face as he walked over to his best friend. Takumi took a seat in the chair that was placed by the bed. And this is where Takumi's brain malfunctioned. He had no idea what to say. Luckily, Leo decided to speak first.

"U-um... It's been a while..." He said timidly.

Takumi sighed. "Yeah..."

Leo fidgeted nervously with his hands. "I-I... I-I'm sorry..." He apologized.

Takumi tilted his head in confusion. "What are you apologizing for?" He asked his blonde friend.

"F-for this whole mess..." Leo fought back tears as he spoke.

Takumi reached forward and gently held Leo's hand. "You don't need to apologize..."

Leo couldn't hold back anymore. He leaned his head on Takumi's shoulder, and began to sob. Takumi pulled Leo close and gently rubbed his back to comfort him. Takumi didn't care who was watching, or how much they would tease him. There was only one thing- No, not one thing- one person that Takumi cared about right now. And that person was Leo Krakenburg. His new awkward best friend that was full of mystery. His best friend that he had managed to save from drowning. His best friend that was blind to how amazing he really was. His best friend that meant the world to him. His best friend, and maybe more. Takumi didn't want to think about the future. He just wanted to think about now. He wanted to think about his time with Leo. Leo had tried to leave him, and that could have been gone forever. Fortunately, they were both lucky this time. And hopefully there wouldn't be a next time. Leo would get help, things would back to the way they were, but with a lot more happiness this time. And finally, everything would be okay.  
Leo was finally calming down, sobs reduced to little whimpers. Takumi felt really close to Leo, not just by distance, but by emotion. He almost gave out and told Leo how he really felt. But Takumi told himself that that was not what Leo needed right now. Right now, Leo needed a good, trustworthy, friend to help him. So that's what Takumi was going to be.

Hinoka walked over to Leo and Takumi. "So, this is the boy you've spent most of your time with?" She said with a smirk.

Leo, now completely calm, blushed lightly. "H-hi... I-I'm Leo..." He greeted Hinoka.

Ryoma had now walked over as well. "It's nice to meet you, Leo."

Leo sighed. "I uh.... I'm sorry you had to meet me like this..." He apologized.

"It's fine, dude. We're just glad that you're okay." Hinoka reassured him.

Ryoma frowned. "Speaking of that, what happened? We were only told that you landed yourself in the hospital."

Leo looked away and said nothing. Xander was quick to step in though. He knew he could trust Ryoma and Hinoka, so he decided to just tell them.

"Leo tried to take his own life." Xander told them.

Hinoka gasped. "W-What?" She said with disbelief.

Leo still stayed quiet and avoided eye contact with everyone. He fidgeted anxiously with his bandages. Takumi put a gentle hand over Leo's to calm him down a bit.

Ryoma sighed. "I... I'm sorry that happened." He said to Xander.

"It's quite alright now... Camilla and I just wished that we had noticed the signs, and that we could have helped him. But of course, we're getting him help now." Xander explained.

Camilla nodded. "We won't let this happen to our dear brother ever again." She added.

"Yeah! I'll do everything I can to make sure big brother smiles all the time!" She chimed in.

Hinoka smiled and turned to Leo. "You're a lucky kid, Leo. Your family really cares about you." She said.

Leo smiled. "Yeah... They sure do...."

Elise smiled wide and pulled a cupcake tray out of seemingly nowhere. "Well now that that's over, who wants a cupcake?" She asked everyone.

Camilla chuckled. "Now, where did you get that?" She asked her younger sister.

Elise shrugged. "I made them ahead of time, but I wanted to wait for everyone to get here before I brought them out."

Camilla smiled. "You're always full of surprises."

Leo didn't know why he hadn't realized that what Hinoka said was true. He really did have an amazing and caring family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaa this took longer than I intended to post. I've had this done for a while, but I kept forgetting to post it. Oh well. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!
> 
> Have a wonderful day/night/evening! Stay fresh! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Oh wow! I actually revised this one slightly! Haha, it's still not as long as I'd like it to be, but I suppose it'll do for now. Anyways.... I did post this on another website, but I decided to repost it here, because I like this place better. I also revised and combined several chapters to make this one, because it made more sense than keeping them apart. Ah, I'm rambling aren't I? Well, I sure do hope you all enjoy this!
> 
> Have a lovely day, and stay fresh! <3


End file.
